Hitching-strap



P. SWEETLAND.

HITCHING STRAP.

No. 492.445. Patented Feb. 28, 189

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UNiTnD STATES PATENT t Ormes.

FRANK SWEETLAND, OF ANGOLA, NEV YORK.

HlTCHlNG-STRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,445, dated February 28, 1893. Application filed November 12, 1892. Serial No. 451,803. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK SWEETLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Angola, in the county of Erie and State of New York, Ihave invented a new and useful Hitching-Strap, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in bitching-straps, and has particular reference to improvements upon that construction of bitching-strap disclosed by United States Patent, blo-150,382, granted me April 14, 1891.

In the patent above mentioned, the hitching-strap was provided at its free end with a ring, and in rear of the same and loosely mounted upon the strap was a snap-hook. The strap was passed around the nose of the animal under the bridle, and the snap-hook engaged with the ring, whereby a noose was formed. The movement of the snap-hook was limited upon the strap by the ring at the free end of the strap and by a stop between the ends of the strap. In use the strap having been placed in position upon the nose of the animal whenever he pulled against the strap the noose would tighten around the nose, and as soon as he ceased pulling upon the strap the noose would loosen and thus relieve his nose of the pressure. By experience I have found that it was necessary or desirable to provide means for adjusting the noose tothe nose of the horse, inasmuch as the noses varied in size in different horses.

With this object therefore in view my invention consists in providing a strap forming the noose at its free end with a series of openings or adjustingholes mounting a buckle adjustably on said free end and in connecting with the cross-bar of the buckle an eye which is designed to engage removably with the snap-hook that is mounted for movement upon the noose between the buckle, which forms the stop at one end,and the stop upon the strap or noose that is located between the ends thereof or in rear of the buckle.

Referring to the drawings:-Figure 1 is a general view of a horses head, the same having in position thereon a bitching-strap embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of the strap. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through that portion of the same at which the buckle is located.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the strap which is designed to form the noose to pass around the nose or muzzle of the animal, and the same has secured to it the hitching-strap proper 2, by means of stitches or otherwise, the adjacent ends of said strap being overlapped, and by their combined thickness, in this instance, form a stop 3. If desired, however, the noose and bitching-strap proper may be formed integral, and any suitable extraneous stop substituted for the one herein shown. The free end of the noose-strap is provided with a series of perforations or holes t, and upon this strap there is mounted for movement a buckle 5. This buckle 5 is provided with the usual tongue 6 which is hinged to the cross-bar 7 that is located intermediate the ends of the buckle and serves to connect the opposite side-bars thereof as shown. It will be seen that the buckle forms a stop for the snap-hook 8, whose eye 9 loosely receives the noose strap, and thus said snap is prevented from leaving the strap at the free end thereof.

lO designates an eye or bail, and the same may be connected in any suitable manner with the cross-bar or other portion of the buckle. In the present instance, however, the said bail or eye is formed of wire of suitable size or gage and the terminals thereof are bent to form eyes ll, that loosely embrace or receive the aforesaid cross-bar of the buckle.

This completes the construction of the strap, and the operation of the same may be brieiy stated as follows:

By passing the noose-portion of the strap 4around the nose or muzzle of the horse, the

proper size for the noose may be determined, audit should be such when formed as to loosely embrace the end of the muzzle. In applying the strap it is passed under the cheek and nose straps of the bridle, after which itis simply necessary to snap the snap-hook into eugagement with the eye or bail, whereby the noose is formed, and the application of the attachment is completed. It will now be seen that should the horse draw upon the strap, the snap-hook will slide along the strap and thus render the noose smaller so as to tightly clamp the nostrils, thus cutting off his wind and practically choking him into submission,

IOO

and the instant that the tension of the strap is decreased the noose relaxes o-r enlarges so that the pressure is decreased or ceases altogether. In this manner the horse is soon taught his error in drawing upon the hitching-strap, in that he finds that the strap chokes him when pulled upon, and ceases when relaxed. If desired, the snap-hook may, in addition to being snapped into the eye or bail, also be snapped into the bit-ring, but such, however, is not necessary. Now by this attachment of the noose to the muzzle of the horse, it Will be seen that the same can never get so loose as to slip over his nose, but will retain its place upon the muzzle, even though no tension be applied bythe horse, and halterpullers maybe readily broken of their bad habit.

Having described my invention, what I claim is The herein described improved bitching-` In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK SWEETLAND.

Witnesses: v

H oRAon SWETLAND, W. D. GRAY. 

